


Scenes From An Unseen Week

by Bobbie23



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s03e22 Nemesis, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26601196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobbie23/pseuds/Bobbie23
Summary: They land on their asses. Literally. There was nothing graceful about the way they landed. Jumping through the Stargate at that angle, that velocity, they couldn’t avoid a hard landing, on stone no less.Author Note 13/10 - Day Five reposted with Day Five, part two (AKA chapter six)
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 29
Kudos: 112





	1. Day One

They land on their asses. Literally. There was nothing graceful about the way they landed. Jumping through the Stargate at that angle, that velocity, they couldn’t avoid a hard landing, on stone no less. Jack curses loudly, grunts as he rotates his neck, doing a quick mental inventory of the rest of his body. Nothing feels broken as he rises carefully to his feet.

“Everyone alright?”

“I am fine, O’Neill.”

Jack glances at Teal’c standing, stoic as always as he rises to his full height. The Jaffa turns to survey the area. Jack’s attention is drawn to his other side by a quiet groan. He sees Carter do the same quick check of herself before getting to her feet. She takes a few testing steps, walking it off the strain. She meets his eyes, nodding once. She’ll live.

Carter notices Thor’s pod lying about six feet away, perilously balanced on the cracked steps leading down from the Stargate. Jack lengthens his stride to catch up when she races to check on their ally. She drops next to the pod, checking the monitor. Out of all of them, she’s the best to interpret the readings. Jack checks on Thor, his eyes are shut despite a steady beep emanating from the monitor. Jack assumes that’s a good thing because Carter seems unconcerned by it. They both give it a once over, noticing a small crack on the underside of the unit. Teal’c moves down the steps to stand guard as they check on Thor, his vigilant observation alternates between them and the tree line.

“Thor said the pod can sustain him, Sir, but I can’t see whether it’s compromised by the crack at this angle,” Carter informs him.

“Are we able to wake him up, Carter? Will that do anything to life support?” A little assurance in Thor’s condition would make him a hell of a lot happier right now.

“I don’t know, Sir,” she admits with a shrug.

He considers the risk, eventually the fact that they need a sitrep weighs out against the cons. “Can you turn it back on?”

Carter nods, pressing the controls. Jack leans up to look at the Supreme High Commander. He taps on the frosted glass. “Thor?” His only answer is a tiny roll of the disproportionally large grey head. Jack taps again. “Buddy?”

Huge black eyes blink open to peers back at the three members of SG-1 watching him. The Asgardian’s head cants to the side. Jack releases the breath he’s been holding, at least the Asgardian is alive. They’re all worried when he allowed Carter to put him into stasis on board of his ship. “We have left the Beliskner,” he states weakly as he notices the blue sky above them. “Were all of the Replicators destroyed?”

“We got ‘em, Buddy,” Jack tells him, tapping the surface of the glass again. “We got ‘em.”

Thor doesn’t say anything else, his head rolls from side to side before his eyes slip shut. Without Jack’s direction, Carter re-engages the stasis pod.  
Jack rocks back on his heels to stand. Carter stays with they pod while he joins Teal’c to scan the area. “What’ve we got, T?”

“P4X 234 is uninhabited according to preliminary MALP reconnaissance,” the Jaffa informs him, continuing his staring contest with the immediate vicinity.

Jack nods, squinting at the dense tree line. Behind them, the Stargate looms in the open space with the DHD. A mountain sits in the distance. Otherwise, grass and trees. And trees. Oh, how he loves trees.

“Sir!” Carter calls.

Jack spins to see her jump away from the bright beam enveloping the stasis pod. Jack winces as the glare becomes too bright to look at. Jack stops squinting as the light dissipates. The spot where Thor’s pod lay is now empty. Opposite him, Carter lowers her hand from her eyes, automatically gripping her P-90. Teal’c looks non-plussed at the disappearing Asgard.

“Any chance you can spare anyone to give us a lift home?” Jack hollers at the sky. Teal’c and Carter tip their heads back to look up at the sky with him. No reply. Stranger things have happened. “Guess not,” Jack shrugs, turning to his team. Thor’s alive, they’re alive, that’s what’s the important thing. More importantly, no bugs have managed to sneak through the Gate after them. They haven’t heard any tell-tale scuttling or whirring yet, anyway.

Together, they move down the steps to the DHD to assess it. Nothing happens when Carter presses in Earth’s address. Jack sighs. He wasn’t expecting it to do anything, they had to try though. They’ll try again in a day.

“Carter,” Jack says.

Carter looks over her shoulder at him, “Yes, Sir?”

“Is there any way we can check in with the SGC?”

She shakes her head with a wince. “Sorry, Sir, unless the Asgard make contact on our behalf, we just have to keep trying to dial home.”

He wonders if there are other teams off-world they could team up with or at least let them know the situation. Anyone trying to dial home will have the same problem. Hammond would’ve notified them of a situation, recalled as many as he could in case they were needed. “Roughly how long till the folks back home get the other Gate online?”

Carter considers it for a moment. “Four days, if they don’t encounter any problems.”

“What kind of problems?” He’s trying, really trying, not to get confused. All Gates are the same, aren’t they? All of the equipment has been up and running for the last six years. Surely, all they have to do is plug the other Gate into the same system.

“Well,” Carter starts with a grimace. Jack holds up a hand to stop her from describing what he suspects will be numerous scenarios the SGC could encounter, which will just give him a headache.

“Are we stuck here, Carter?” Bottom line, that’s all he needs to know. Other than that, they’re alive, Thor’s alive. That’s got to count for something.

“For the time being, Sir,” she replies with a bob of her head. “We could gate somewhere else, but if the Asgard contacts Earth, this is the last Gate address they have for us.”

Jack nods to himself. He doesn’t feel like leading a recovery team on a goose chase across the galaxy, he doubts it’d be appreciated either. “Teal’c.” The Jaffa, who’s been keeping an eye on their surroundings, faces him. “Take point, we need to find somewhere to set up base.”

“Of course, O’Neill.”

888

They walk for about two klicks before they hit the base of the mountain. They follow it around, judging whether the mountain will provide enough shelter and a source of water. At the moment, all they have is their weapons and the clothes on their backs. He doesn’t feel as prepared as he would if he were in combat gear. He had been ready to clear out and head straight for Minnesota when Thor beamed him out of the concrete bowels of the mountain complex.

Jack glances at the sky. Not a cloud in sight, but they don’t have Carter’s fancy gizmos to figure out the climate. The planet is uninhabited as far as they know, one of the reasons Teal’c chose this planet to escape to. The presence of a Stargate means the planet was of use to someone at some time or another. Jack wonders who and why it was abandoned considering the seemingly picture-perfect view.

“We have a few hours of daylight to make camp, Sir,” Carter calls from behind him.

Jack agrees with her assessment. “We’ll find a spot before sundown, then move to a better location tomorrow if need be.”

They continue for another ten minutes before they hear a faint trickle of water. They haven’t seen or heard indigenous life on their trek nor anything that might think they’re dinner. They follow the bend around the mountain to find a rocking jutting out from the mountain with a steady stream of water flowing into a small pool below it. A narrow river leads off in the other direction, through the trees. Together, they edge toward the river bank to peer over to check the water. It looks clean.

“The stream is clear,” Jack announces, following the flow of water to note the gentle widening of the stream. A few small fish darts along the bed of pebbles and silt. Promising. “You guys carrying purification tablets?”

“Yes, Sir,” Carter confirms, hefting her pack. She adjusts her hold on her P-90, looking at the pool longingly. Jack can’t blame her; he wouldn’t mind taking a dip. He tries not to think of Carter stripping down and diving right in.

“Alright.” Jack looks around for anywhere they can take shelter if need be. He spots an opening between the rocks which looks like it could provide some shelter if the weather changes, far enough from the stream so not to be flooded if there’s rain. “Looks like this is home for tonight, Campers.”


	2. Day Two

Jack opens his eyes on the second day to find a bleary-eyed Carter reaching into her pack. He’s grown accustomed to catching some rest on hard ground, but none of it fitful. He stretches before staggering tiredly over to where Carter is sitting on a log, she looks like she’s slept as much as he did. He slumps down next to her. She manages an eye roll as she tosses a protein bar in his lap.

“Leftovers for breakfast,” Jack comments as he tears open the wrapper. “I don’t suppose there’s coffee.”

“Sorry, Sir,” she apologises, shaking her head and hiding her smile by taking a bite of her own protein bar. Given the ten minutes notice she had, Jack’s grateful Carter had the forethought to put a basic pack together for what was supposed to be a suicide mission than to be actually bothered by the lack of coffee. It’s cooler this morning with a breeze in the air that’s a bit nippy. Carter’s jacket is pulled around her.

Teal’c crouches at the edge of the stream, collecting water in the canteens. He drops a tablet into each one, securing the caps before returning to their little camp. Carter holds out another protein bar to Teal’c. She doesn’t toss it at him.

“I can locate Master Bra’tac to procure items we may require,” Teal’c offers.

“Yeah,” Jack agrees. While none of them is a novice when it comes to roughing it, they will need more supplies than what’s in Carter’s pack. They will need to find some sort of cover if the weather turns nasty. Maybe a couple of blankets to cover the ground. Also having someone, an ally – more than one- know where you are, helps.

“Looks like we’re going to be here a while, he could join us,” Jack suggests. Bra’tac is always a good time, always manages to put Jack on his ass in some way. He doesn’t mind taking one for the team if it keeps morale up. Besides, it’d be good to touch base with Bra’tac.

“I shall pass along your invitation, O’Neill,” Teal’c replies, straight-faced as always, though there’s something in his tone which makes Jack stop. Teal’c’s messing with him.

“More the merrier, I always say,” he mutters, scuffing his boot on the ground. Beside him, Carter’s shoulders shake with quiet laughter. When Jack looks at her, she turns her attention to the morning sky. He can see the corners of her mouth turn upward though.

“I will take my leave as soon as possible,” Teal’c says, broking no argument. The sooner he leaves, the sooner he returns.

They accompany him back to the Stargate, dialling Earth for their daily attempt before Teal’c dials the planet Bra’tac has made his latest home. They watch him disappear through the even horizon, standing there as it shuts down a few seconds later.

“What’s the plan for today, Sir?” Carter asks, squinting at the bright pink sun just rising over the ridge of the mountain.

Jack looks around, thinks about kicking back for the day. It’d be perfect if he had a couple of beers and his yoyo or his fishing pole and a deck chair. “You know how much I love protein bars, but they’re not going to last forever.” Carter’s eyes flutter closed as though she knows what’s coming when he claps his hands together. “You ever been fishing, Carter?”

888

As it turns out, Carter had secreted a short length of fishing wire at the bottom of her pack. _Just in case_ , she’d told him.

A few hours after Teal’c disappeared through the Stargate, Jack sits at the edge of the river dangling the reel into the water. He’s about twenty minutes south of the mountain where the fish are a bit bigger and livelier. The water is deeper yet clear enough to see the silt settled at the bottom. Jack observes the fish skim the river bed. None of them biting, though. Smart bastards. Jack smirks.

Jack senses Carter watching him. She decided to leave the fishing to the expert. Her words. He’d smirked at the smartass reply instead of reprimanding her. This isn’t their run of the mill off-world overnight stay. Carter doesn’t have any equipment to take samples, ruins to explore or locals to charm. She only has the notebook to make observations for when they get back to the SGC. Nothing to do except kick back and relax. Two things he doesn’t associate with Samantha Carter.

She usually has something to do. If she doesn’t, she’ll find something to keep her occupied. Jack figures she’ll come up with something within a day, if not sooner. He doesn’t know how to deal with a bored Carter.

Personally, he’s crap at waiting. He’s restless and easily agitated. He fidgets. His yoyo is a part of his pack for a reason. Bored doesn’t suit him, his mind and hands wander, usually getting him into trouble. Usually, right around the time when Carter moves the doohickey away from him before he breaks it.

At the moment his second in command is sat on the flat grass behind him, listening to the birds and watching the trees swaying in the breeze. Perfect weather, idyllic forest, no one around for miles, reminds him of the woods in Minnesota and the week he was supposed to be spending up there. He’s got to admit there are worse places to be stranded.

He ponders the impromptu invitation he issued before he was engulfed by Thor’s beam. The words were already halfway out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. Carter was as startled as he was because she stammered for clarification. Jack tried to justify it, even though he knew how it would look. He just wanted her to go fishing with him, drag her away from being hunched over her workbench. An innocent enquiry that suddenly became loaded with something which Jack isn’t ready to acknowledge, to himself or anyone else.

They’ve always bantered, exchanged friendly ribbing. Jack’s pretty sure they both started it during their first briefing. Either that or they were too stubborn to back down, or something like that. She pulled back for a while, before Edora, after her double came through the Quantum Mirror. Jack let her, that was confusing for him too.

If Jack was pressed, he’d say that’s when it got complicated. The moment he stopped trying to convince himself it was just a crush he had on his second in command. He stopped denying it wasn’t like what her double had with his.

Since Edora, since the undercover op, he’s made a conscious effort not to be an ass. Or at least, less of an ass and she’s letting him.

A twig snaps behind him as Carter edges her way down beside him for lack of anything better to do. She perches on a rock a couple of feet away to watch him with the thin wire clasped between his thumb and index. There’s enough reel to cut in half for them both to have a go.

“How long do you think Teal’c’ll be?”

Jack has been thinking the same thing in the back of his mind. He expected their friend back a while ago, but Jack figures it could take a while to organise supplies even for a man as resourceful as Bra’tac. Teal’c can look after himself. He hopes there’s no trouble in Jaffa land, Jack doesn’t feel like diving into another crisis after the techno-bugs. He shrugs off the niggle of worry. “You know how he and Bra’tac are when they get yacking, Carter, can’t shut ‘em up.”

She rolls her eyes at his nonchalance. He gives her a sideways glance. “Bored, Major?”

“No, Sir,” comes her prompt reply. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking can be as dangerous as being bored,” Jack quips, earning himself half a smile.

They should probably start on establishing their camp before Teal’c returns with supplies. They haven’t found a better location on their quick scout around the area. He wants to figure out if the fish are a viable source of food before they head back to camp. They haven’t had any problems drinking the water, so that’s promising. He wants to test the berries they’ve seen on the bushes too before they all have some.

“You ever been fishing, Carter?” Jack repeats the question she never answered. This time his voice is a little rougher, yet still genuinely curious. Her brow twitches, curious as she focuses on the way he dangles that unbaited hook in the water.

“No, Sir,” Sam answers, wrinkling her nose. “My uncle offered to take us when my dad was stationed overseas. I was five.” Her face softens, thinking back. Jack looks over at her when she huffs happily at the memory, watching the wistful look crossing her face briefly. Jack sees her expression shift before she shrugs. “Mom thought Mark and I would be bored on the boat, so she took us to Yellowstone to camp out and watch a meteor shower instead.”

“Maybe she knew you’d be more interested in the stars,” Jack offers softly, being drawn into the precious memory. She doesn’t talk about her mom too often. Jack always assumed her dad was behind her first foray into stargazing. Carter followed Jacob into the Airforce, after all. He wants to ask more, say more, but he’d rather she volunteer her anecdotes than feel pressured to share.

“Something must’ve stuck, Sir,” Carter tells him. Doctor, Major, Theoretical Astrophysicist rolled into one. Jack laughs at her. “I couldn’t stop staring at the stars racing across the sky. When it got cold, Mom sat in between me and Mark and wrapped a blanket around all three of us.” She smiles softly. “I think she just wanted us to stop arguing.”

“Nah,” Jack drawls, certain her mom wanted to snuggle with her kids under the star show. He nods at the sky, “Are we close enough to Earth to see anything we’d recognise tonight?”

“Sorry, Sir,” Carter shakes her head. “If we had a telescope we might have a chance to see some, not with the naked eye though.”

Jack sighs. “Hey, did you have those glow in the dark stars on your ceiling when you were a kid?”

Her lips quirk. “The constellations weren’t to scale, but they were up there, Sir.”

“You don’t say,” Jack chuckles softly.

She grows quiet for a couple of minutes, thoughtful. “I’m sorry your vacation got hijacked, Sir.”

“I don’t know Carter,” Jack starts, gesturing at their surroundings. “Trees, water, fishing.” He turns to her. “The only thing missing is a cooler full of beer.”

Her head cocks to the side. “Sounds nice, Sir.”

He glances at her, catches her wry expression. “There’d be no doohickey’s to play with, but I think you’d enjoy it.”

“Yeah, I think I would,” she admits softly.

“Looks like you won’t be getting back to your reactor anytime soon,” Jack comments. “Guess you’re on an enforced vacation.”

“Sounds nice, Sir,” Carter mumbles, shaking her head at him. He might like to tease her about spending her free time at work, because she does, but she has an innate sense of adventure and appreciation Jack shares. He likes her approach, her attitude. He likes her too much. He clears his throat, beckoning her closer with a bob of his head.

“Fishing one-oh-one, Carter.” He pulls the wire from the water, measuring it roughly with the hook hanging just above the ripples before cutting it with his knife. Jack pats the rock beside him. He hands her the reel with the hook when she shuffles closer. Luckily, he had a couple of hooks in the pants he’d put on to drive up to his cabin.

She accepts it with a bemused expression, the kind she bestows on him whenever he asks her to simplify her technobabble or compares Gate travel to a worm burrowing through an apple. He quickly attaches another hook to his line, casting it into the calmly flowing river. Carter ducks her head as she copies his action.

“Now what?” Carter asks after a few minutes. Jack cocks his head to the side. “Sir,” she tacks on sheepishly.

Nice save.

“Now, we wait,” Jack drawls, leaning back against the grassy incline.

888

When Teal’c returns, he has Ryac with him. The teen walks next to his father. He has a bag slung over his shoulder and a basket full of vegetables in his hands. He grins at Jack and Sam as Teal’c greets them.

“O’Neill, Major Carter, Ryac wished to accompany me. Master Bra’tac, however, declined your invitation.”

Carter avoids looking at Jack as she holds out her hands for the basket Ryac is carrying.

“Oh well,” Jack dismisses the blow-off with a shrug. “How you doin’, Ryac?”

“I am well, Colonel O’Neill,” the young man answers. “Father says you are unable to return to the Tau’ri.”

“Yeah, we’re trying to phone home, but we keep getting a busy signal,” Jack jokes. Ryac tilts his head at him, clearly never going to understand the reference. “Are you joining us for the time being?”

“I must return to my training with Master Bra’tac,” Ryac informs him, sending a questioning look in Teal’c’s direction.

Jack recognises it as the look Charlie gave him just before deployment. Jack’s a sucker for that look. Teal’c would never ask to go, but he doesn’t have to. “We’re going to be here for a while, Teal’c, why don’t you go back with Ryac?”

Ryac tries but fails to keep the hopeful look at bay. Teal’c brightens too, straightening as he regards Jack. “Are you sure that is wise, O’Neill?”

“Check-in daily. We’ll redial the SGC. In the meantime, spend some time with your kid, T,” Jack tells him. he adds when Teal’c cocks his eyebrow.

He bows slightly, “Thank you, O’Neill.”

Jack nods at the fire with the fish cleaned, speared and ready to cook. “You staying for dinner?”


	3. Day Three

The rain starts before dawn. Hard.

Carter wakes when the first droplets fall, joining Jack at the opening of the cave they found as he watches it come down in sheets. Luckily, they’d moved inside to sleep last night. There’s a little hole at the other end so they can have a fire just inside the opening of their temporary home without getting smoked out.

“Looks like a washout,” Jack comments as she hunkers on the floor beside him. She snorts at his bad joke. “We’re on vacation, my prime commentary is reserved for when we’re on duty,” he defends himself lightly.

“Does this really count as a vacation, Sir?”

“Not if you keep calling me ‘sir’,” Jack points out, but doubts she’ll stop even if he makes it an order. She ducks her head. “And not when we talk to Hammond.”

“You’re still going fishing when we get home?” Her voice is soft and breathy, and he can sense her head near his shoulder. If he just turns a tad to his right…

“Oh, yeah,” he says, just as softly. He won’t lament about his cabin or the slight disappointment he felt when she turned him down. “Just think of this as downtime, relax and enjoy it, there’s not much else to do. Besides, it’s your fault you’re here, you know.”

Her head whips up. “Sir?”

Jack hasn’t forgotten her little indiscretion. She followed him onto the Beliskner, into what was, at the time, a one-way trip. Don’t get him wrong, Jack will do his duty and do everything he can to protect the planet, but he’s not as hellbent on suicide missions as he was during that first mission to Abydos. That’s partly due to the woman next to him. He’s starting to understand the lengths she’s, the whole team is willing to go to to save him. He’s grateful. Really. Although he’d do the same for any of them, he’s not sure ‘thank you’ adequately covers what she did. He just wishes Hammond wouldn’t encourage them by overruling his commands. Stubborn son of a…gun.

“You know, Carter, I’m still pissed you disobeyed an order.”

Her brow furrows. “General Hammond outranks you, Sir. He gave the order-.”

“Before or after you convinced him there was a way off Thor’s ship, Major?” Jack asks knowingly. He won’t ask whether she had a plan at the time or just blagged her way on to the mission before she came up with the idea. Hammond would’ve asked Carter if there was another way, but it would’ve been her idea to press the issue. He does wonder if Hammond knew she planned to hijack the Stargate. He notices her flush as she looks at her lap. Busted.

“With all due respect, Sir, I wasn’t going to leave you on Thor’s ship to die.” She meets his eyes as she utters the words carefully with determination.

“Look, Carter, I’m grateful,” Jack continues, gentler. “Really grateful. What I’m trying to say is, if we were stuck here indefinitely, if they send a search party, it’ll be for you, Carter, not me. You’re more important than I am.”

She frowns at him, somewhere between touched and disbelieving. “Sir,” she starts, ready to contradict him. He stops her.

“You’re a resource Earth can’t afford to lose Carter,” Jack tells her softly. “They’d be crazy if they don’t after come for you.”

“I can say the same about you, Sir,” she tells him, averting her gaze.

“Carter, you’re capable of some dangerous things if you are ever converted to the dark side. They’d be screwed if you were.”

“I can say the same about you,” Carter counters, with a hint of humour in her voice, with her eyes trained on something through the rain. “I’d do it again.” She adds, as unapologetic as before.

Jack doesn’t answer her. He probably shouldn’t say anything even if he had an answer to give her. This is risky territory as it is.

Carter leans over to grab her pack, pulling out a canteen and two protein bars. “Breakfast?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Jack replies, taking his bar from her. “Nothing to do except sit back and relax.”

888

When the rain eases off around late morning, Jack and Carter stretch their legs and set off for the Stargate to meet Teal’c for their daily dial home. Nothing, nada.

Carter sighs. She braces her hands on the outer ring of the DHD and hangs her head. Jack glares at the stationary gate. He’d been hoping for something to happen, a glow of the chevrons maybe. Carter allotted four days to get the beta gate installed and working. This is day three.   
Carter wanders down the steps, deep in thought. He recognises the look of guilt crossing her face.

“Do you wish to join me to visit with Bra’tac and Ryac?” Teal’c asks as Jack sidles up next to him to dial again.

“As much as I’d love to, Carter and I should probably hang around here,” Jack admits, hoping the big guy will understand. Teal’c nods. Personally, Jack could do with a change of scenery, especially if they’re due more rain. There are only so many games of tic-tac-toe drawn in the dirt on the floor of the cave he can stand. He’d give anything for a pack of cards.

“You and Major Carter are well matched to keep each other company,” Teal’c comments as the last chevron engages.

Jack rears back, glancing over his shoulder out of habit. “Uh, T,” he starts. “What exactly are you getting at?”

Teal’c stares back at him and Jack gets the vibe that Teal’c’s about to pull the alien card on him, something that hasn’t worked for a couple of years. “You and Major Carter are friends,” he states simply. “I have witnessed you enjoying time together.”

Jack scratches the back of his head. He doesn’t really know what to say to that. He goes with honesty. “Yeah, we do.”

“Then I do not understand you’re question,” Teal’c replies. He pauses as Jack thinks about it for a moment. He swears Teal’c is saying more than he actually is. “I shall see you tomorrow, my friend.”

“See you tomorrow, buddy,” Jack answers absently.

When Teal’c nods over Jack’s shoulder, Jack realises Carter is watching them. He turns just in time to see Carter wave at their friend as he disappears through the Stargate.

888

The rain holds off for the afternoon as they make their way back to camp. With the clouds clearing and the sun high above them, the ground starts to dry out. They take the longer route of following the river, stretching their legs after being stuck in the cave all morning. They haven’t really ventured much further than the cave, though Jack figures they should if they’re here for much longer. Jack notes the water in the pool has ebbed away downstream, relieving pressure from the bank that was threatening to spill over. Carter’s quiet as she collects berries on the trail back to camp in a basket Ryac gave them.

Jack carries a bag of cloths Teal’c gave him. Apparently, there’s something similar to soap in there too. He eyes the rushing stream. The current is on the heavy side after the rain, meaning a dip is out of the question, but they can collect water for a wash. Or risk standing out in it for a cold shower.

“Do you think there’s more rain on the way?” He calls, looking at the sky.

Carter tilts her head back to check the sky. “Looks like it’s clearing,” she shrugs.

“Yeah,” Jack replies.

“What are you thinking?” Carter asks, interested by his train of thought.

“Exploring,” Jack states. She raises her eyebrows, clearly as curious as he is. They should learn the terrain and have something to report to Hammond when they get home. If he and Carter scout the area, they’ll have more than they preliminary tests the SGC has already run. This planet could be a viable option for another off-world site. He and Carter can cover a lot of ground in a couple of hours. More, if they have a few more days here.

By the time they reach their camp, the sun has chased away the chill from the earlier rain. They stow the wash bag and most of the berries. Jack grabs Carter’s pack to refill their canteens and puts the remaining berries in a cloth before stashing them in the pocket where Carter stashes the protein bars. He turns to find her emerging from the cave with her jacket tied around her waist.

They walk past their little fishing spot from the day before, through the thickening forest, sticking to the river as a guide. Carter spots a small squirrel-like creature swinging between the trees while he notes more birds.

“If no one lives here, do you think we get naming rights?” He asks.

“P4X 234 has a certain ring to it, Sir,” Carter replies.

Jack smirks at her. He’s a terrible influence. “I guess you’re right. My suggestions would get shot down anyway.”

Carter laughs, light and freely as she shakes her head. “Let me guess, Springfield?”

“For a region,” Jack weakly defends. She laughs harder. “Why do you think it’s abandoned?”

Carter tilts her head to the side, considering the question. “The UAV didn’t find anything remarkable. No traces of naquadah in the samples we collected. No evidence of settlements or mining, recent or otherwise. No evidence of inhabitants, not even ruins.”

“Except the presence of a Stargate,” Jack points out. “Had to have meant something to someone once. Doesn’t look like they’re coming back, though,” he adds. “Carter, is this planet a viable option for a base?”

“It’s a contender, Sir. There’s water, safe plant life, lots of space,” she tells him.

“So, why are we the only ones here?”

She lets the question that’s been nagging him since they arrived linger. A seemingly idyllic planet with no one vying for occupancy? Jack’s just waiting for something to rear it’s ugly head or two. Carter doesn’t answer him only tightens her grip on the P-90 in her hands. It’s instinctual, natural. He’s once again struck with how she manages to strike the perfect balance between soldier and scientist.

They keep going, joking easily, discussing what could be happening back home, how long till Hammond figures out Daniel can be a huge pain in the ass when they’re not around to act as a go-between. Jack really envies the fine line Hammond strikes between humouring, genuine interest and irritation. It varies from person to person. “I say, he’s about ready to shove Daniel through the Gate just to shut him up.”

“I don’t know, depends whether Janet cleared him for Gate travel after surgery. Not even the General would cross her,” Carter considers it briefly. Jack suppresses a shudder, he wouldn’t put it past the Doc to ground Daniel for the time they’re away just so he has an excuse to stay at the SGC. “If Janet’s cleared him, the General has probably sent Daniel to retrieve the beta Gate.”

“You think they’ll have problems installing it?”

She shrugs pensively. “I have confidence in Siler and his team. If they weren’t good at their jobs, they wouldn’t be at the SGC. However, there’s so much we don’t know about stargate’s, there’s always going to be a margin for error.”

“We might be here longer than you thought?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“We better ration the protein bars.”

They walk until they hit the end of the river, where it meets a vast lake about five-hundred meters between shores. Jack steps onto the rough sand and looks into the blue-green water, finding a small worm to bait his hook to catch dinner. Carter tests the water with her fingers, rinsing her hands.

She rocks back on her heels and stands to walk the short distance to Jack. She drops down beside him, looking longingly at the vast lake while self-consciously crossing her arms over her knees as she sits beside him, but doesn’t say anything. They don’t know how deep this lake is or if there’s more than fish lurking in there. He can’t see the bottom to assess the risk. The small pool back at camp is a safer bet. The water is clear and they can see the bottom. It’s drinkable.

Carter gives the lake one last look before pulling her reel from her pocket. She casts the string, just as he demonstrated the day before. They sit quietly, locked in a waiting game with the fish. With one hand on his wire, Jack leans back.

“Looks like you’re getting the hang of this,” Jack notes the way she rests her wrist on her bent knees, while the other hand drops to the pebbles beneath them.

“I think you’re just trying to convert me to fishing, Sir,” she quips teasingly.

“Nah, you’re pretty good as you are,” Jack replies without thinking. He clears his throat when she discreetly sucks in a breath. “You know, for a fishing novice.”

Her lips lift as she looks down, carefully holding the wire in the water as she examines the beach. He presumes she’s checking for similarities and differences to write in her notebook.

Her hand closes around one of the pebbles, hefting it in her hand before flipping it to just the right position before letting it fly across the surface of the water. One, two, three, four, five skips and it sinks smoothly into the lake.

“Nice,” Jack smirks. His hand searches for his own pebble to toss. He finds a relatively flat one, not too big or small. He knows her eyebrow is quirked in interest. He throws it and tracks it as it skims the water three times before diving. “Two out of three,” Jack grouses.

Carter’s already scanning the surrounding stones. She takes her time, examining a few, rejecting more before selecting her next contenders. Jack plucks two at random. Carter wins.


	4. Day Four

Their daily trip to the Stargate is a bust. Teal’c lingers for a few minutes as they throw a few ideas around of what’s wrong. Frustration is starting to set in and it’s only a matter of time before Carter’s worry kicks up a notch. She’s had a pretty good handle on it so far, but Jack knows her nerves are beginning to fray. The dialling computer is her baby, if anyone messes with it or anything goes wrong, she’s the go-to person to fix it. They could be stuck here because she’s not there.

After another two failed attempts to dial Earth, Teal’c disappears through the event horizon before Jack and Carter spend the day pottering around their camp. Carter collects berries and more kindling for their fire while Jack shakes out the blankets they’ve used to sleep on.

As soon as Jack nears the river, he toes off his boots and stuffs his socks into them before dipping his feet into the cool water. It’s warm today and the sun flickers between the leaves and branches. He refills the canteens and lets them stay cool in the shallow water beside him.

If they were in Colorado, Jack’d have no problem sneaking into Carter’s lab to distract her from whatever quark sat on her bench or cajole her into joining him for lunch. Maybe even cake. She’s usually polite, humours him most of the time when she doesn’t have a deadline. Daniel and Teal’c tag along, it’s easy. Here, there’s no one else to distract them.

They work well together, as Teal’c pointed out. Jack’s realised he enjoys spending time with Carter when they’re not being chased by a horde of Jaffa and dodging staff blasts. They can talk or not say anything at all for hours without becoming uncomfortable. She can handle his jokes and teases him in return. Then, there’s her smile, her laugh. He likes those a little too much. Sharing close quarters with no one else to distract them, Jack feels his resolve slipping. His senses are overcome with her presence.

As night approaches, he’s once more reminded of Minnesota. Bright blue morphs into a deep purple which turns into dark blue while the planets’ moon shines down on them. Free from clouds and pollution, the stars sparkle. Jack wishes he had his telescope. When night finally falls, he and Carter climb up the side of the mountain, above the rock jutting out over their pool to get a better look. Jack spreads one of the blankets on the rock, and they sit side by side. Though the temperature has dropped, it’s still balmy.

“Wow,” Carter says, lifting her head to appreciate the view. In the distance, they can see the lake reflecting the shimmering light from the moon and the open fields beyond it.

“Yeah,” Jack agrees. In daylight, it’s an impressive sight. At night, it’s spectacular.

Carter leans back, propping herself up on her elbows.

“If we were home, what would you be doing if you had a choice?”

“Probably this,” Jack answers.

“At your cabin?” She asks.

“This is pretty much the same.” There’s a pond with no fish, grass to lie on all day. “Well, there’s a cabin. But after the sun’s gone down, there’s not much to do except look at the sky.”

She smiles at that. “Sounds nice.”

“I told ya,” Jack points out.

“I wanted to say yes,” Carter tells him after a moment.

“You did?” He searches her face and finds her staring back cautiously. She studies him briefly before nodding. “Thor’s timing sucks,” Jack says. He’s replayed the conversation in his head, convincing himself she made the right decision, the sensible one. The one the Air Force needs them to make. That doesn’t mean it’s the one Jack wants to make.

“Yeah,” Carter agrees. She blinks, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. He eyes her, watching several emotions play across her features. Hope, wistful, hesitation. “I’d like to go with you one day,” she announces. “If that’s still okay with you.”

“Just say the word, Carter.”

She breathes out, nodding again. She turns her head to say something else, only to stop. Her gaze flitters between his eyes and his mouth and Jack holds his breath. Seconds later, she blinks out of her reverie and the moment is lost. “I should go to bed,” she tells him, lifting herself up. “Goodnight, Sir.”

Sir.

He bobs his head slowly, accepting her reply. They probably shouldn’t get into this here and now, not when it’s clear she’s reluctant to.

She starts climbing down, lowering herself to the ridge before looking back at him. He waves her down, “Night, Carter.”


	5. Day Five

The rain starts just after midnight.

Jack sits at the mouth of the cave tending to the fire. The droplets hit the ground loudly as water trickles along the rim of the opening. The rock is battered incessantly by water the downpour. He glances at Carter as she lies on the other side of the fire. She has the blankets pulled up over her, unconsciously moving toward the warmth.

She’s fidgeted on and off tonight, mumbling a few times between bouts of fitful sleep. He’s heard her have the odd bad dream on previous missions, nothing in the last few days. Sleep is often elusive off-world, especially a new one. He does a cursory check of the tree line. Nothing. All of their parameter checks have been clear. They haven’t seen anything bigger than the squirrel-like critters Carter spotted the other day.

Her mumbles jumble into one, arguing with herself as she gets louder, agitated in her dreams. She starts shaking her head, keening as she refuses to co-operate with whatever scenario she’s stuck in.

Jack observes her for another beat, noting the higher pitch to her protests, the slight sheen covering her flushed skin. He moves closer, crouches next to her as he reaches out to gently shake her shoulder. She flinches yet remains asleep.

“Carter,” he says. She shakes her head, wincing in her sleep. He shakes her again.

“No,” she whispers, batting him away with her hand.

“Carter!” Jack barks.

She bolts upright and her chest rising and falling rapidly as she gasps for breath. Her eyes dart around, unfocused as she tries to re-establish her link to her reality as her nightmare fades. Jack stays beside her, waits for her to wake up and turn her attention on him. He’s had his fair share of nightmares. Her eyes flutter shut and she shakes her head. She’s okay.

“You alright?” He asks when she finally looks up at him, guarded and afraid.

“Yeah,” she licks her lips. He reaches for the canteen by the fire, offering it to her. She gulps down the water.

“Wanna talk about it?” Carter averts her gaze and he half expects her to turn him down.

“They don’t happen often,” she explains, as though that’s the most important point. She sips the water this time.

“Wanna talk about it?” Jack repeats. She’s never said anything about nightmares, no lingering issues.

Her gaze sweeps over him and he knows she’s considering how little he’ll let her get away with admitting. “Jolinar,” she confesses with a sigh.

“Ah,” Jack rocks back on his heels and settles on the cave floor. He’s curious because he wants to know how she’s dealing with it though he won’t push it if she’s uncomfortable. In the two years since Jolinar took her body hostage, the memories she’s been able to recover have come in handy while bordering on disturbing at other times. Jack isn’t entirely comfortable trusting the sketchy recollections from the Tok’ra snake, except it’s the only part of the experience Carter is relatively open about. She focuses on the intel which can help them rather than her personal feelings towards the encounter. The fact that she’s been keeping them to herself is unsettling.

Carter shuffles across the cave to rest her back against the wall, pulling the blanket around her. Jack sits beside her. She stares out at the night with her arms wrapped around her knees, a myriad of emotions crosses her face. He’s about to tell her she doesn’t have to talk to him. It’s not an order. When he has nightmares, he just wants to pretend they never happened.

“Carter,” he starts.

“It’s fine,” Carter tells him. “They aren’t as frequent as they were.”

He stares at her then.

Frequent.

She never mentioned them, not even after the incident. Apparently, this isn’t a once-off.

“Not to sound like Daniel, but what..?” He trails off uncomfortably. He read her report, he saw her after. He never expected to see her so despondent. He never asked her for fear of making her uncomfortable. He didn’t have a fascination with it like Daniel. The idea a host could survive was like a beacon to the younger man, rekindling his hope for Sha’re. Jack and Teal’c spent a lot of the early days of Carter’s recovery pre-empting the conversation to prevent the archaeologist from quizzing Carter on her experience. He has a tendency to be overzealous and single-minded when he has an idea in his head.

“What was it like?” Sam finishes for him. He nods. “Strange. She took over so quickly, I didn’t know until it was too late. I saw and heard everything. I remember my mouth moving, talking. I remember how she felt. Her memories came later, after.” Nightmares. “She was desperate.”

“That doesn’t excuse hitching a ride,” Jack quips. Jolinar broke the fundamental rule, she took a host without consent. “Isn’t that the difference between the Tok’ra and Gou’ald?”

She nods slowly, her eyes dropping to her hands holding the blanket over her bent knees, breathing shallowly as she centres herself. She rolls her head back against the wall, glancing at him while looking resigned. At her nightmare, at his undivided attention, Jack doesn’t know.

“Jolinar liked you,” Carter suddenly declares, surprising him. He gives her a look. Carter shrugs. It’s a stretch at best. “Well, she respected you for not giving her the benefit of the doubt when she said she was a Tok’ra.”

“It wasn’t about her,” Jack admits, not willing to comprehend what that means to him or his role as her commanding officer.

He could’ve pushed the Tok’ra harder. Objectively, he needed to find out what she knew, why she took Carter, whether it was random or strategic. He was angling for a way to get her to release Carter, bring her back in a way they hadn’t been able to do for Sha’re. That was the Air Force line, the one he pushed. Jolinar pushed right back, using Carter as a weapon against him.

Jolinar’s attitude, her fire, sparked something akin to fear in him. Combined with Carter’s wide, glistening eyes, the use of her voice, Jack realised Jolinar was more dangerous than any snake they’d encountered. Her choice of hostage, random as it was, was the kicker. Carter is essential to the program; her knowledge of Earth’s defences and the computer systems is second to none. That information in the hands of an enemy is debilitating.

That should have been at forefront of Jack’s mind when interrogating the Tok’ra. Carter’s a damn fine officer. Half of what she says confuses Jack, he gave up trying to translate her technobabble to English at some point during the first year, but he trusts that she knows what she’s doing. Jack wasn’t going to sacrifice her to the enemy, one who knew that about him because of the woman carrying them against their will.

“I know,” Carter says, just as quietly. “I’m glad you didn’t give her a pass because it was me.”

She gets it. She understands the decisions he has to make; the ones he’s made in the past, the ones he’ll make in the future.

“I would never have consented to become a host, but there are things we wouldn’t know if I hadn’t,” she sighs. “Hell, my dad would’ve died of cancer if I hadn’t.” She pulls at a loose thread on the blanket. “Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate between our feelings.”

Jack steels himself. He’s going to listen to her because she seems ready to talk, it’s more important than the conversation they cut short a few hours ago. He knows why she cut it short, why she hesitated. Same reason he’s hesitated around her for months. He doesn’t know if she talks to anyone outside of the job, friends, maybe Doc Frasier. He wonders if he’s got this all wrong if their muddled feelings are just a result of the job. Jack has no way of reconciling that as it’s never happened to him before. He’s never worked with anyone like Carter before.

“Is this about Marty?” Jack hates himself for asking, he really does. He doesn’t want to talk about other guys who Carter may or may not have feelings for. He can’t deny the guy doesn’t go hand in hand with the whole Jolinar saga. They were mates. Don’t get him wrong, Jack likes Martouf. Martouf’s his second favourite Tok’ra, right behind Selmak. He’s a good guy, he’s gone against the Tok’ra to save their asses. A little too dreamy-eyed around Carter, commandeering her time when he drops in for a visit, but no one’s perfect. Jack doubts the guy would push her into sharing his life, but he wouldn’t say no if that’s what Carter decides.

Carter cocks her head to the side and Jack tries to keep his face schooled as she reads him and his curiosity. She calls his bluff.

“When Martouf looks at me, he sees his mate. When I see him, I’m drawn to him,” Carter pulls a face. “I have memories of him that aren’t mine. What they had was so intense, their relationship, their fight against the Gou’ald…” She glances at Jack. “But I don’t think I would feel this way about him if I never carried Jolinar.” She sighs, frustrated, confused. “I’m not compromised, Sir,” she stresses.

“I never said you were, Carter,” Jack replies. She never would’ve passed the psych evals if she was. Jolinar’s memories may have influenced her actions, but she’s still as dedicated to her job as she’s always been. He doesn’t really want to talk about other guys, but if she decides this thing with Martouf is more than just Jolinar then he won’t let his confusing feelings for her stand in the way of that. She drops her eyes, plucking at a thread of cotton on the rough blanket she’s wrapped around herself. Jack watches her, letting her words, her own confusion, sink in. She hasn’t been specific and Jack won’t push her to clarify. He’s always going to let her take the lead with this, even if she doesn’t realise that.

“I’m trying to figure out if I’m not sure about my feelings for Martouf, whether can I be certain about my feelings for others.” She turns her head slightly to gauge his reaction.

“Fair point,” Jack concedes, trying to school his features. He digs at the fire with a stick to give himself a second to think. He hadn’t thought of that, of how her experience with Jolinar could sway her feelings as much as her obligation to the Air Force. “Look, Carter, when I asked you to go to my cabin, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“You mean like watching you kiss a version of me and wonder how it feels?”

“I didn’t know you were watching until after…” Jack waves his hand in the air, letting the word hang between them.

“Would that have made a difference?”

“Carter,” Jack sighs weakly. He chances a look at her, her eyes trained on him, waiting for an explanation for kissing her grieving counterpart. He remembers it, her soft curves fitting into his embrace, her lips pressing against his, seeking any sign of her dead husband. Doctor Carter had sought solace in his arms but she’d known the difference. Jack, for his part, tried to give her what she needed, comfort her as much as possible while trying not to compare or wonder about his Carter, and how she would react, if her lips would feel differently against his. Or how he wanted it to be his Carter. “She was grieving, she needed her husband.”

“Her version of you,” Carter points out, her voice irritatingly neutral. Her guarded expression doesn’t give anything away. Jack meets her eyes. Her eyes give her away. Questioning, careful, hopeful.

“She needed to say goodbye,” he tells her softly.

“I know you want to make things better for people, make it easier,” she shakes her head. “But there are some things not even you can fix.”

“I’m beginning to realise that.” Jack doesn’t remind her that her double believed he was capable of such a feat. He wishes it were that simple. By making it easier for the Doctor Carter, seems he made that situation harder for his Carter. “I don’t want this to be a problem between us, Carter.”

“It’s not a problem,” Carter tells him quickly. She averts her gaze, capturing her lower lip between her teeth, worrying it. “What we do is so important, it can’t be a problem, can it, Sir?”

“No, it can’t.” Jack looks down at the fire. “Look, Carter, I-.”

“I think I would’ve done the same if our roles had been reversed,” Carter admits, quietly, baulking slightly when she realises what she’s admitted it out loud. “Oh, God, I mean, uh…” Carter sighs. “Sir, I just…”

As amusing as this is for Jack, he holds up a hand to stop her. “I get it, Carter.”

She would’ve kissed a man grieving his wife if it offered him solace no matter if it complicated their relationship. Neither are really ready to question why they’ve encountered two versions of themselves who are together. Maybe they don’t have to. They probably shouldn’t. Their circumstances don’t allow those kinds of questions. The Stargate Program is under military rule, meaning military personnel have to adhere to those regulations no matter what curveballs the assignment throws at them. “We work well together,” he adds as though his words are an afterthought.

“Yeah, we do,” she concurs, swallowing, throwing a furtive look at him. “I can’t imagine not working with you.”

“Well, I brag about you daily,” Jack muses, faltering when her eyes snap up to his. “All of you, I brag about all of you daily, that other team leaders would think it’s odd if I don’t.”

Carter ducks her chin to hide her flush. “I can’t imagine giving up our team.”

Whatever this is between them, what this connection is that their counterparts have explored, isn’t enough to break their oath, not when they haven’t come to terms with it themselves yet. She has a lot to come to terms with, and whenever Carter decides she’s ready, he’ll be there.

“I like to think of it like fishing,” Jack tells her.

Carter’s eyes narrow and her lips quirk. “Fishing?”

“You know the fish are in the pond, but you gotta wait for ‘em to bite.”

“Wait?” Carter asks, hesitantly curious.

“No matter how long it takes,” Jack confirms, fairly confident she’s following the subtext of their conversation. Neither of them can say anything out loud, not even to each other.

“You think they’ll be a time when we stop waiting?”

“I hope,” Jack tells her. They’re in the middle of a war, who knows what the outcome will be, but he hopes there’s a day when they overcome everything holding them back; when they’re comfortable enough to explore whatever is happening between them. “For now, we wait.”

“We’re okay with that?”

He turns to her and studies her expression full of hope and fear. “Yeah, we’re okay with that.”

Because they’re not ready for more. They both have things to figure out before they are.

“Just let me know when you’re ready to fish, Carter.”

She’s quiet for a long while, Jack almost thinks she’s fallen asleep until she speaks. “I’m sorry we’re not there.”

“At least we’re not alone here,” he adds softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea was to post a chapter a day but there's going to be a small delay on Day Six. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying this story as much as I am.


	6. Day Five (part two)

When Jack wakes in the morning, it’s with the first rays of the sun rising over the trees. He licks his parched lips, trying to relieve his dry mouth. He rubs his hand across the thick stubble growing on his jaw and realises there are some home comforts he’s missing. The soap block Teal’c procured for them smells like honey and oats. They’ve used it for quick washes so far, yet their pool of water is looking real tempting this morning. So, far neither of them has had any problems with drinking the water.

“Morning, Sir,” Carter looks his way when he rises to his feet, stretching his legs. She passes him the canteen by her feet so he can take a swig. Damn, he wishes he had a toothbrush or even some gum.

“Carter,” Jack greets. “Anything?”

“All clear, Sir,” she replies.

Jack nods and hunkers down beside her. She passes him a protein bar. “These are the last ones, Sir.”

“Let’s hope we get lucky today then,” Jack quips, tearing open the wrapper.

“Sir?” Carter’s head whips around to look at him.

“With the Gate,” he clarifies with a smirk. “With the Gate, Carter.”

She rolls her eyes at him. They chew their bars in silence before Jack wanders into the bushes. When he returns, he finds Carter sitting at the edge of their pond, her shoes and socks beside her as she dips her feet in the cool water. On the other side of her lays the canteens, already refilled for the day.

“You want to take a dip?”

Carter wrinkles her nose at him. “I wouldn’t mind,” she admits.

“I’ll keep watch,” Jack tells her, leaving her looking after him as he ducks into the cave to retrieve the soap and a blanket for her. She hasn’t moved and doesn’t until he hands the small bar to her. He realises how this sounds, especially after their conversation the night before. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just…” He trails off, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder as he turns to face the cave.

He paces the short distance to their fire pit, close enough to hear anyone sneaking up on her or if she gets into trouble. Jack listens to the rustling of clothes and the telltale splash of water, followed by a sharp intake of breath from his second. His flinch turns into a smirk.

“Chilly, Carter?”

“A little, Sir,” she answers, her teeth chattering slightly.

Jack chuckles. “What do you think about playing hooky this afternoon if we can’t go home?”

“Aren’t we already playing hooky?” Carter calls back.

Jack twitches at the sound of scrubbing and figures she’s taking advantage of her bath to wash her clothes against the rocks. Chilly or not, he’s looking forward to his turn. Carter doesn’t speak as she finishes up, Jack knows she’s efficient in the locker room and off-world. Soon, he hears her lifting herself out of the water.

“I’m pretty sure hiking several clicks back and forth, doing recognisance, counts as work,” Jack answers as he turns to her as she finishes putting on her jacket. Her black shirt is spread out of the rock to dry. She cocks an eyebrow at him.

“What do you want to do instead?”

888

“You know when you said play hooky, this isn’t what I had in mind, Sir.”

With his eyes shut, Jack smirks as Carter fidgets beside him. Completely refreshed from their baths, Jack feels ready for their day off. They both washed their shirts and have both donned them now they’re dry. Their jackets are tucked between their heads and the bark of the tree trunk they’re resting on. “What did you think I meant, Carter?”

“I didn’t expect to take a nap under a tree,” comes her wry reply.

“I’d hardly classify this as a nap,” Jack grumbles. For one thing, he’s not likely to fall asleep with Carter talking through her boredom. He keeps that snippet to himself. They’re currently waiting on Teal’c to make attempt their daily dialling to Earth. Jack is already getting into the idea of a day off.

They’re sitting at the edge of the clearing, just at the tree line, where the Stargate resides, enjoying the gentle breeze swaying through the long grass. With no one to tend to it, no animals to graze on it, it’s up to their knees in areas. They’re used to the terrain by now, especially the route to the Gate and the long grass is yielding to create a path for them to follow. He wonders how long it’ll take to recover once they’re home.

“Did you notice stubble on Teal’c’s chin yesterday?” Jack asks out of the blue as they reach the halfway mark. Carter shakes her head in front of him. “I swear it’s gold.”

“It’s a fashion choice,” she declares. Her shoulders shake as she looks down at her feet as she tries not to react. He likes making her laugh and smile. He smirks at her again.

“It’s gold, Carter,” Jack exclaims.

“Are you going to tell him it’s against regulation, Sir?”

That makes Jack pause. “So, Teal’c can grow hair.”

Carter rolls her eyes at him.

Before either can say anything else, the chevrons start lighting up. They pause as the final one locks into place, ducking down for cover in the long grass. They stay down as they return to the denser trees to have some extra protection in case Teal’c isn’t the one who emerges through the Gate.

They watch the event horizon burst out of the large circle before settling into the confines of the ring. Jack grips his P-90 out of instinct, noting Carter doing the same. They train their eyes on the rippling blue shimmer as three figures breach the event horizon baring staff weapons. Jack sucks in a breath and raises to his full height as Bra’tac spots them huddled in the grass.

“O’Neill!” Bra’tac bellows in that way he has, the one that means he’s either humouring Jack or he’s done with his crap. Eerily similar to the tone Hammond and Jacob use with him from time to time. The older Jaffa stalks across the open field with Teal’c and Ryac following. Ryac beams at them while Teal’c is as impassive as ever.

Jack casts Carter a wry look before they step out of their apparently-less-than effective hiding spot. “Finally decided to join us, did ya, Bra’tac?”

“Teal’c has made me aware of your continued troubles with the Chappa’ai,” Bra’tac explains with a knowing glance at his protégé. “Truth be told, it is a troubling idea that the people of the Tau’ri are cut off from potential aid in the event of an invasion.”

Jack squints at him. He’d had the same thought soon after they arrived. With the way Carter winces, she did too. “We’re hoping fifth times’s a charm.”

Bra’tac’s scowl softens. “I hope so too, my friend.”

“Let’s dial it up,” Jack says, leading the way to the DHD.

Carter punches in Earth’s address under the watchful gaze of the men as they stand around in anticipation. The chevrons light up but the last one refuses to lock, just like the rest of the week. Bra’tac harrumphs, exhaling loudly. Carter’s eyes connect with Jack’s. He bobs his head at the DHD and she dutifully redials. Again, nothing happens.

“I believe Hammond of Texas will be anxious to welcome his warriors home,” Bra’tac announces with a glum expression. It’s probably the nicest compliment he will ever issue to anyone other than Teal’c.

Jack turns to the other men in their group. His attention falling on the small patch of gold- _gold_ \- on Teal’c’s chin. It’s no more than an inch wide, running from his lower lip down to his jaw. The rest of his chin is clear of stubble. Otherwise, the other member of SG-1 is as impassive as usual. “Whatcha got going on there, T?” Jack can’t help asking, absently reaching out a finger toward the strip of hair.

Teal’c doesn’t provide an answer, just cocks his eyebrow and cants his head to the side slightly. Ryac, on the other hand, beams at him.

“We bought what Father says is similar to what you refer to as cake,” the teenager announces, changing the subject while practically bouncing on his feet. He might have been tucking into the cake already, Jack thinks.

Jack brightens. “Cake, you say?”

He senses rather than sees the look Carter throws his way. That quirky lip lift teasing him. He returns it as she leans her cocked hip against the DHD, soaking in the sun peeking over the top of the trees. He’s brought out of scrutinising her by Ryac thrusting a cloth pouch into his eye line.

“Father says it is like your carrot cake,” Ryac tells him, obviously proud for recalling such a detail. “He also said you’re very fond of it.”

“I’m partial to a slice or two,” Jack concedes. Carter snorts quietly, yet Jack hears her none the less. Carter looks away, her chin tipping up to look at the sky to hide the smirk Jack knows she’s wearing. Jack sends a questioning look at Teal’c, who cocks his eyebrow. “You guys sticking around today?”

“Ryac has challenged Master Bra’tac and myself to a scouting expedition near their camp if we were unsuccessful contacting Earth,” Teal’c explains. Ryac puffs his chest out proudly, ready to prove himself to his father and their mentor.

“Sounds riveting,” Jack drawls.

“What of your plans, O’Neill?”

“Well, we’ve explored most of the area surrounding the mountain,” Jack explains, pointing at the imposing landmark in the distance. “We’ve been trying to do a full rec of the immediate vicinity to see if this planet is suitable for another base.”

“Have you found anything of value, O’Neill?” Teal’c asks.

Jack looks to Carter for an answer as she wanders over. “We haven’t found evidence of naquadah,” she starts. “Nor any indication of civilisation, but we’ve only seen a small portion of the planet. We’ll need to do aerial scans as well as test soil and flora for the usual medicinal purposes. Without any equipment, I can’t collect samples or do preliminary tests.”

Teal’c nods, accepting her answer. Jack points in the opposite direction, adding lamely, “We’re heading in that way today.” Teal’c raises an eyebrow at the limited direction. It’s their day off.

“It is valiant that you are looking for ways to expand the Tau’ri’s territory on other planets,” Bra’tac informs him with a particularly enthusiastic clap on Jack’s back. “I hope you can return to Hammond of Texas, so your efforts are fruitful.”

“Me too, me too, Bra’tac,” Jack concurs wistfully.

The group says their farewells, Jack and Carter watch Teal’c and his family disappear through the shimmering blue pool till it blinks away. They glance at each other and start off in the direction of the Jack had pointed at moments ago. They can sit and sunbathe anywhere in the afternoon.

Carter takes the lead, her weapon secured in her hands ready to be used if necessary. Jack follows, alternating between watching his step and hers. He casually grips his weapon, though he’s still alert to everything around them. “Do you think Hammond will present this planet as a site for another base, Carter?”

She shrugs. “It’s possible if we don’t find other inhabitants. We haven’t found anything of value or remarkable yet, and we may not. The planet won’t draw attention.”

There’s been no gate activity all week apart from Teal’c to and froing. The only sounds they heard were the animals and insects around them. No tracks or paths in the long grass or the denser woods.

“People don’t know what they’re missing,” Jack quips. He’s quite happy with the location of their pseudo vacation after the close call with the techno bugs. “I know this isn’t what I had in mind for this week, but it’s not half bad. Company’s not half bad either.”

Carter doesn’t break her stride as she smiles at him. He takes her good mood for the reward it is. He drags his eyes over Carter’s back. Her movements casual, she’s completely at ease as she takes in the scenery. She seems lighter today, her nightmare from the night before seemingly forgotten.

“And we have cake,” Carter points out.

“We have cake,” Jack says, hefting the pouch Ryac gave him. “What do you think about having a picnic?”


	7. Day Six

They wake up to a warm day. They sort out camp first; stowing their blankets, dousing the fire before Jack refills the canteen and splashes water on his face. Carter does the same as Jack settles on a rock, waiting for Carter to join him before opening the wrappings surrounding the cake. Leftover cake makes a better breakfast than berries or fish. Jack’s hit first by the waft of delicate spices then the moist texture. He eyes the cake, drawing out his examination till Carter snorts at him.

“Careful, Sir, I think you might drool on it,” she teases him when his attention moves to her.

“Might? I think I already have, Carter,” he shoots back. She rolls her eyes at him.

“Nice try, Sir, but you aren’t keeping it all to yourself,” Carter retorts, reaching out and tearing off a corner to pop it in her mouth.

Jack watches a beat longer than he should, wondering who or what he is more envious of as she chews thoughtfully. It’s a tough call as she lets out a satisfied groan while her eyes light up and drop back to the cake in his hands.

“That good, huh?” Jack lifts an eyebrow.

Carter smirks as she nods and reaches back into his lap. Wordlessly, he holds out the cake so she can tear her half off. She snags it deftly and cradles it in her lap as she tears bites off. Jack turns back to the scenery lest being caught staring at her. His gaze falls naturally on the mountain and what he’s come to think of as their ridge in the distance.

“What is it?” Carter asks, snapping Jack out of his reverie.

“Huh?” He asks, frowning at her. Her brow furrows, her eyes assessing him quickly.

“I never thought anything would distract you from the cake,” she explains with a nod at the cake sitting in his hands.

“Ah,” he says distractedly. “We need to start thinking about what to do if we can’t dial home.”

He knows she’s already been thinking about it when she drops her gaze guiltily. He figures their little vacation won’t last much longer. Days rather than weeks, he can feel the itch drawing him back. They can’t sit idly by on this planet while the rest of the universe is fighting the Goa’uld. Neither of their consciences would let them. Logically, they can’t stay here and remain reliant on Bra’tac and Ryac. Jack figures they have at least another week before they should leave the planet and start earning their keep at Bra’tac’s camp. They’re still in the middle of a war and neither Bra’tac nor Teal’c will remain idle for much longer. At least, they’ll still be fighting the Goa’uld.

“Teal’c would prefer to stay with Bra’tac and Ryac,” Carter says, echoing his thoughts.

“We have any teams off-world when the bugs tried to invade Earth?”

Carter shakes her head. “General Hammond recalled all teams when Thor beamed you out of the base.”

“Well, I guess I should get used to getting my ass handed to me by Bra’tac then,” Jack quips before finally popping a bit of cake into his mouth. He almost whimpers as the taste hits his tongue. “Mmm…Cake.”

“I told you,” Carter says warmly.

When Jack’s eyes meet Carter’s, she’s smiling softly almost sadly. “What?”

“How long do we keep trying to dial home?”

“I don’t know Carter, but we’re not going to wait around for months when we have other options,” Jack gruffly explains.

He knows he’s said the wrong thing when she raises an eyebrow at him and he rethinks his wording.

Months.

Ah.

Edora.

A few months ago, he lasted a hundred days. He wasn’t able to dial home, yet he kept busy with trying to find the Gate rather than focusing on the task of getting one to work. He was surrounded by a community, by Laira, and it took three months for his shock and panic to subside a fraction. He grew accustomed to his new reality yet he never forgot home, never forgot his team, his family. He’ll never forget his heart pounding when his radio crackled to life and he heard the faint sound of Teal’c’s voice.

It had taken Laira a hundred days to mourn her husband. When Jack reached that threshold, she’d expected him to do the same. He hadn’t been ready, though he thought he should try. He still felt the pull of home, of his team. Something he never expected to feel after Charlie, something he didn’t think he deserved to feel. He reluctantly let her take his BDU’s, his only link to home, out of a sense of obligation. He didn’t want to throw Laira’s kindness back in her face after she took him in when he had nothing.

“This is different from Edora, Carter,” Jack tells her. This time he has part of his team, he has her, the one who worked relentlessly to bring him home a few months ago. They aren’t cut off from other planets, only Earth. It’s not a bad planet to be stranded on. Unlike him, Carter has family on Earth. Sure, he’ll miss Daniel, Cassie, Doc Frasier, Hammond. Her dad might be off somewhere with the Tok’ra, but she had started to reconnect with her brother and his family about a year ago.

She flushes, suddenly finding the cake in her hand fascinating. “I know that, Sir.”

Perfectly even and professional. No inflection.

“I spent most of the time trying to dig up the gate,” Jack admits, surprising himself as much as Carter. “I didn’t know where to dig till I Teal’c signal came through. When they had time, some of the villagers helped me. I got to know people.”

“That’s understandable,” she nods. “Being cut off, you make connections,” she swallows.

“Carter,” Jack sighs, questioning.

“I just,” Carter bites her bottom lip as she breathes in. “It didn’t seem like you wanted to leave when we came to get you. You never would have left any of us behind, and I keep wondering why you think we would leave you behind.”

“You’re worth more than I am, I’m expendable Carter.”

“With all due respect, that’s a load of crap.”

“Not in the eyes of the Air Force,” Jack argues.

“I wasn’t talking about the Air Force,” she retorts, her tone broking no argument.

“I know,” he returns fiercely, almost a vow. Their eyes connect and they both know. They’re both breathing deeply in the face of their admissions, knowing they’re skirting the line of what they can and can’t admit. Jack swallows and reluctantly tears his eyes away from hers. “We could always track down Dad, see if he can give us a lift home,” Jack suggests, taking a bite out of his cake. Mentioning Dad is as effective as a cold shower. “Then I’d have to get used to him handing me my ass.”

Carter shakes her head as she rolls her eyes, picking at her half of cake. “Dad likes you.” He throws her a look, dubious and questioning, receiving a shrug for an answer. “He does,” she insists, though it’s clear she doesn’t understand why either.

Jack figures if Jacob knew what he was thinking, of the blurring lines between himself and Carter, the older man wouldn’t like Jack as much.

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get home?” Carter asks a moment later, valiantly trying to divert the conversation to safer topics.

“I’m going to head up to the cabin,” he answers.

“Really, Sir?” She counters playfully. “I thought you’d have enough of fishing after this week.”

“Nothing compares to the thrill of catching a bass this big,” Jack says, spreading his hands wide as she eyes him sceptically.

“The bass gets bigger every time you say that,” Carter replies with a wide smile.

“Just you wait, Carter, you’ll see,” Jack taunts her. There are no fish in his pond. It’s the act of fishing that’s important, not the fish. He’s fairly confident she’ll get it when she agrees to accompany him. “What about you?”

She wrinkles her nose, a little cautious and Jack bites back a remark about her quarks and lack of life beyond the program. “I’m calling dibs on the locker room, Sir,” Carter says after a beat.

Jack takes a discreet whiff of himself. Their cool pool of water and the soap Ryac gave them can only do so much. It doesn’t compare to a long, hot shower or fresh clothes. Not with Carter occupying the next stall, obviously. “That’s a good call.”

He finishes his half of the cake by popping it into his mouth and chewing thoroughly to make it last. He sputters on the last crumbs when she quietly asks, “Why did you ask me to go fishing with you?”

Carter’s blush spreads quickly across her face and neck as she refuses to look at him. She tears her last mouthful in half and swallows it quickly, her fingers lingering on her lips in a poor shot to hide from him.

“I don’t know,” Jack replies honestly when everything in him is telling him to downplay it, joke it off to make it easier for both of them to deny whatever has been lingering between them for a while. He shrugs. “I thought you might like it instead of tinkering away with your reactor.”

“You’re right, I would,” she breathes out. “Before this week, I would never have imagined you sitting next to a pond for hours on end.”

“We haven’t sat on our asses the whole time, Carter, we’ve scoured the surrounding area,” Jack argues good-naturedly. “Again, not much different to the cabin except the trails are established and maintained by the Rangers.” He gives her an appraising look. “Growing restless, Major?”

“A little,” she admits, stretching a little.

“Why don’t we make the jog to the ‘Gate a little interesting?” He asks, rising to his feet as she does the same.

“How?”

“If you win, I catch and cook dinner and take the first watch,” Jack tells her.

“If you win?” Carter prompts, a small smile forming.

“You come to the cabin with me, when we get home.”

Carter contemplates his terms for a beat before agreeing. “You’re on, Sir.”

“Alright, on three?” She nods. They ready their selves as he counts down, “One, two-Hey!” Jack calls as Carter takes off with a laugh.

Jack starts running after his second in command while she races ahead. Her movements are graceful and fluid as she runs along the path they’ve forged over the few days they’ve been on the planet. Jack follows her, picking up his pace, a smile forming on his own face as they approach the ‘Gate. His heart thumps loudly as the adrenaline kicks in as Carter dodges a large root sticking out of one of the older trees. Jack, confident in his ability to navigate the denser path as she nears the treeline, breaks out into a sprint to catch her. He misjudges the height of the root as he tries to leap over it and just catches his toe but it’s enough to cause him to fall. Unable to recover his footing, he goes down with a groan, landing in a heap at the trees’ base.

“Sir?” He’s still lying on the ground as Carter jogs back to him, leaning over to check on him. “Anything hurt?”

“Just my pride, Carter,” Jack quips as he rolls on his knees to stand.

“You owe me dinner, Sir,” Carter teases, straightening her back and holding her hand out to help him up.

“You cheated!” He accepts her hand and they stand close as Jack pretends to be indignant, basking in the easy teasing. “You owe me a rematch,” Jack argues, dropping her hand yet he doesn’t step away.

“You owe me dinner,” Carter retorts with a giggle.

This is easy with her. They grow quiet as Jack itches to reach out for her hand again. His eyes drift to her lips briefly. Her eyes widen briefly, though she doesn’t move away. “This is why I asked you, Carter,” Jack admits quietly.

The air grows thick around them, pushing them forward a fraction. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. "I know." 

Jack sways forward.

“O’Neill!”

They jump apart and Jack’s head snaps up. Teal’c stands at the edge of the clearing, his staff weapon held in his hand. Jack raises his hand in acknowledgement, “Good to see you, T.”

Jack glances apologetically at Carter only to find her professional expression slide into place as she turns to greet their friend, their moment lost. The Jaffa looks impassively between them, keeping his thoughts to himself. He turns on his heel as they fall into line with each other.

Bra’tac and Ryac are waiting next to the DHD as they approach and they exchange pleasantries as Teal’c dials Earth. The chevrons lock in order and they all hold their breath as the wormhole forms and blossoms out of the large ring before settling within its’ confines.

“’Bout bloody time,” Jack grumbles “Thanks for the help, Bra’tac,” Jack directs at the older man.

“The least we can do for allies, we do not know when we will require refuge.”

“Let me know when I can return the favour,” Jack nods.

He and Carter head up the steps to wait for Teal’c as he says a quick farewell to his son and mentor, hugging the young to his chest for a brief hug.  


Carter catches his eye. “Is this what it’s like at your cabin?”

“Yeah,” Jack replies.

“I think I’m going to love it there,” Carter whispers.

“Yeah, I think you will.”


	8. Day Seven - Epilogue

“Well, it's about time!” Jack’s sarcastic call resonates through the Gate room as the wormhole disengages behind them.

They walk down the ramp to Daniel and Carter echoes his sentiments with a sassy, “We've been dialing home for over a week.”

Jack hears the half-question, half- accusation in her voice. She’s just itching to get her hands on the dialling computer to run a full diagnostic to make sure it’s working correctly. If Hammond let her, she’d head straight to the control room rather than follow protocol to hit the shower before the infirmary for mandatory checks with the Doc.

Daniel ignores both of them, returning their jibes with his own, “Oh…it's great to see you guys too!”

Hammond greets them with his blend of ribbing and relief. Jack supposes he’s right. They do smell a little ripe. They disperse from the Gate room, moving quickly through the halls to the locker room. Daniel trails behind them, waiting with Jack and Teal’c in the hall as Carter catches his eye knowingly as she pushes through the locker room door.

She called dibs after all.

She emerges fifteen minutes later, looking refreshed. Jack and Teal’c swap with her as she takes her turn to fill Daniel in on the uninhabited planet they’ve just spent the week on.

Once standing under the streaming water, Jack relishes in the warmth cascading over him. He washes away the sweat and grime left behind by their stay on P4X 234. He liberally pours shower gel onto his flannel before scrubbing his body. He rinses, taking longer than he normally would though he’s still done in minutes. Shutting off the water, he pushes the curtain aside to step out into the steamy locker room. He wraps a towel around his waist and pads carefully to the bench where his clean clothes are laid out.

She might have left less than fifteen minutes ago, Carter’s deodorant lingers in the locker room. A strawberry mint concoction that fills Jack’s senses as he towels off his chest and arms, scrubbing the towel over his hair, ruffling it. He can’t stop his mind wandering to the way their time away came to an abrupt end. He feels as though their conversation is unfinished.

There was a definite shift as they stepped through the Gate. They slipped seamlessly into their work personas as soon as they breached the event horizon. As relieved as he is to be Earth-side, Jack feels the pull of their nightly conversations, the ones which blurred the boundaries of their professional relationship. He doesn’t want it to over think it, doesn’t want it to hang over them and make things weird between them. He’s going to seek her out after the briefing.

***

Predictably, he finds her in her lab.

His eyes bug out as he spies her holding some Replicator blocks between some tweezers. He’s not going to reprimand her but he does wonder how he missed her pocketing them in the first place. Or how she kept them from him for the past week.

Those questions die on his tongue as he looks at her through the giant magnifying glass. She’s so focused on the blocks, she hasn’t noticed him yet. He bends down and looks at her through the magnifier. She huffs out a laugh as she rolls her eyes, unable to stop the smile that forms.

“What ya doin'?” he asks, smirking.

“They salvaged a couple of replicator pieces from the ocean,” she shrugs. “I thought I'd have a look.”

Jack stands up at that, backing away a step. He’s relieved she didn’t have them on the planet with them. She’s smarter than that. Still, he’s concerned about having them on base no matter how inactive they look. “Is that wise?”

Carter looks nonplussed. “Well, there's no discernible energy being emitted. I think it's pretty safe to say they're dead. Besides, it's only just a couple of little blocks.”

They might look innocent sitting there, but they remind Jack of that metallic scurrying along the floor. He internalises his shudder as turns his attention back to Carter. He learnt to trust her years ago and she’s seems confident about the blocks on her workbench, so he is too.

“Well, I'm off,” he tells her.

Carter looks up at him, her eyes shining in the light from her desk lamp. “Still going fishing?” She asks, half curious, half wistful. There’s no underlying tension, no weirdness. Anything but, if her open expression is anything to go by.

Her smile plays on her lips and he’s drawn in, he just has to be sure, “Yep…still staying here?”

He already knows her answer, but he had to ask. He’s not ready to be away from her just yet.

Carter’s eyes flicker warmly, her nose wrinkling, “Yeah. I think I've had enough relaxation for a while, sir.”

Jack smiles. “Okay.”

They’re okay. They can go on, closer than they were before. That's all that Jack needs to know.

“Have fun,” Carter tells him softly, and he knows she wants to come too, but can’t.

He knows why she can’t, he gets it. It’s a good thing she’s staying here, smart. Sometimes he wishes they weren’t so smart. “Ya sure ya betcha!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt this deserved something to tie this into Small Victories and that scene we all love. I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thank you all for sticking with me (I originally planned to post an update daily over a week but real life got in the way). Thank you for leaving the kudos and comments, I loved reading them all.


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